British born California sweetheart Karling Abbeygate has finally found the musical direction that suits her. After years of playing and singing Alt Rock, Alt Folk and Alt Country, Karling has embraced her Rockabilly soul. But Karling is no mere Retro artist. A prolific songwriter, Karling has taken the early rocking beats and styles and given them a contemporary twist, resulting in music that's as fresh and hip as it is familiar.

Karling's talents are fully on display in her latest creation, "Christmas With Karling". The album is a roller coaster ride of styles, featuring unexpected delights at every turn. Want something of a kitschy 50s novelty number? "What's In The Box" is the answer (or the question) you've been waiting for. A full out Rockabilly rave-up? Nothing could hit the spot quite so well as "Christmas Party". And if you're longing for a modern holiday tearjerker worthy of Patsy Cline herself, look no further than "Angel Tears". Other highlights include the infectious Western Swing original "Honeys Coming Home For Christmas" and "Tra La La La La" (which successfully melds the styles of old school country and modern Indie pop--all seasoned with a bit of Latin spice). And Karling pays homage to the traditional songs of the season as well, with some rocking renditions of "Deck The Halls", "The First Noel", "Jingle Bells" and "Auld Lang Syne" and a lonesome prairie Western version of "Silent Night".

With her "Wanda Jackson meets Gwen Stefani" sound and her Bettie Page good looks, I, for one, am signing on for "Christmas With Karling". The download version is available now through CD Baby. And hard copy CDs will be available November 1 (the official release date), through CD Baby and at Karling's web store.

If it's authentic neo-swing music you're after, you have to look to its golden age of the late eighties and early nineties. And this digital reissue from Sugar Ray Ford & The Hot Shots goes right back to when the movement was young. This Christmas EP was originally released in 1989, the year that saw Royal Crown Revue get their start.

Sugar Ray Pat Reyford was one of the true pioneers of the original Swing Revival in the UK, performing throughout the eighties with assorted rockabilly and swing outfits, fronting his own bands like the Flying Fortress, The Zephrys of Swing, and, of course, the Hotshots. He also played and sang with The Big Six, one of Britain's best known bands playing in the style of Bill Hayley. And Sugar Ray is still performing today, with bands ranging from The Jazz Dynamos to the Zoltans to the Goodfellas. Pay him a visit at his MySpace site and find out what he's been up to.

On this Hotshots holiday outing, we get a nice taste of the early Swing movement--much closer to its Glen Miller roots and early fifties radio pop than to the Bill Hayley stylings of the Big Six or the raucous ruckus raised by the nineties' American neo-swing leaders. "Under The Mistletoe", in particular, sounds like a holiday radio jingle from the era where commercials were often longer than the songs between them. It's a neat little throwback as is the entire record, previously available on iTunes UK but not on this side of the Atlantic. This download version even includes a bonus track, "Sun Valley", which was not included on the original vinyl EP (should you be lucky enough to have that already).

PREviews

I don't know about you, but I want to see that cover art and I want to see that track list before I make my Christmas music purchasing decisions. The earlier the better. That's what we try to do for you here. We'll also try to give you a little background on the artist(s), in case they're new to you.